I finished this as a wall hanging for our daughter and Mike. Then I sent it to Aranel and she outlined the whole dragon in metallic thread, added a border and quilted it, making what was a nice piece into something truly spectacular. Thanks to her, it's now an heirloom!

Don't know if anyone can help me out here but I love that first blue dragon. Does anyone have the pattern still? I checked the company website and can't find it but it's so very lovely and I've decided I'd like to give cross stitch a second attempt ...

Sorry folks. Yes, I am certainly crafting but I take all my pictures now with my cell phone and I have no idea how or if it's possible to get them onto a website. I don't know if I still have that pattern, I'll have a look.

Edit: no luck unfortunately. I do still have the original blue dragon picture and I suppose it might be "possible" to recreate the pattern on graph paper but I think that would take quite a lot of time.

__________________What we have once enjoyed we can never lose.
All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.
Helen Keller

Oh well - I did rather figure as much. Started trying to recreate the pattern last night just in case (in Excell bc I didn't have any graph paper lying about). So far it's doable if really mind-numbing.

I've completed an entire foot and started a leg.

If I a) manage to successfully reproduce it and b) manage to successfully complete it I'll post the results lol!

(Really hopeful I can get it to work - it's so pretty. And we've started a work craft night so I'll have plenty of guides/cheerleaders.)

Well ... I can usually manage about half an hour of close work before my eyes start to struggle so ...

3 years?

Lol!

Honestly not sure - it might take a month for the website to even deliver it to me but I want to make sure I'm supporting the artist and I'm not in any major hurry.

I'm kind of hoping to have it done by my birthday in July but I'm honestly not sure how much work is involved or how long it will take. My last attempt at getting into cross stitch was a very long time ago.

And as for helping old ladies at the Edinburgh Tattoo - http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment...inburgh-tattoo
We could've done with somebody with (a) common courtesy and (b) some idea of how to get off that high walkway without going down steps after the tattoo on Thursday night. When we asked for directions from the ticket collector at the blocked gate we were directed in the opposite direction from the one we wanted to go in and finished up having to cross a railway line, a motorway, and walk right round the closed railway station to the bus station - there being no taxis. By then the last bus had long gone and there were still no taxis.
We walked home. Fortunately all three of us live in the CBD

And no way could I have afforded it either. It was a birthday present from my son and daughter-in-law.

You've inspired me, Michelle. My husband is ordering me another copy of the pattern. It will have to sandwich itself in between my usual Christmas ornaments and a couple small table cloths I'm doing as wedding gifts for son and his fiance! (wedding next year) They love cats so naturally both are cat-themed!

__________________What we have once enjoyed we can never lose.
All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.
Helen Keller

And as for helping old ladies at the Edinburgh Tattoo - http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment...inburgh-tattoo
We could've done with somebody with (a) common courtesy and (b) some idea of how to get off that high walkway without going down steps after the tattoo on Thursday night. When we asked for directions from the ticket collector at the blocked gate we were directed in the opposite direction from the one we wanted to go in and finished up having to cross a railway line, a motorway, and walk right round the closed railway station to the bus station - there being no taxis. By then the last bus had long gone and there were still no taxis.
We walked home. Fortunately all three of us live in the CBD

And no way could I have afforded it either. It was a birthday present from my son and daughter-in-law.

Were you at the Tatoo on Thursday, Vyon???? So was I ! And wandering around looking for a ride down to the parking area. Took us an hour to get out of the stadium.

Wasnt it splendid!!!!!

__________________Coffee: Chocolate: Men: Some things are just better rich

There are now four fans in the Wellington area!
Me, Michelle,Kugai and Yvon

I won't lie - that's kinda weird. Not sure I've ever come across three other kiwi fans on one website before.

Let alone ones from my actual city.

So weird.

@Vyon - that sounds horrid! I mean, on the one hand I'm not entirely surprised because good heavens stadium staff can be disorganised (I can say that - I used to work there lol!) but still - someone should have been thinking ahead.

That walkway is horrid. It's almost a kilometer long and then at the end you've got to find a bus/carpark/taxi etc. My dad had to walk it once with a broken foot - hobbling on crutches the entire way. It needs to be more accessible.

Lucky you were all able to get home okay!

@Priscilla - yes! You can just go ahead and call me a bad influence if you like! Cat themed tablecloths would be so neat

(Is also a cat person)

You'll have to let us know when it arrives! I'm sure it will take less time to make it's way to you than it will to me

If this posts ok, you'll see why Lily took an hour to get out of the stadium. And that the average age of the crowd is NOT 75, as claimed by the organisers. They were just plain disorganised. As was the bus company. They advertised that there were late busses, and to look up the route number. Which said there wasn't a late bus. Must've been the Night Rider from Harry Potter then, because I saw it on two subsequent nights disgorging half a busload of passengers at the stop at the bottom of Brooklyn Road, which is visible from my bedroom window.

My Paladin dragon pattern has arrived. The first thing I'm doing is having my husband make several copies so if I want to mark them up with color choices it will be easier. It may well be months before I get around to doing anything, my sewing calendar is pretty full.

__________________What we have once enjoyed we can never lose.
All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.
Helen Keller

I have started to use a walking stick along with my long white cane, to get around. I feel for you.

Ginny, I doubt you would've got out of that stadium easily either. It is almost a kilometre of raised walkways with a carpark under it, and a railway station under that, before you even come to the steps to get down to ground level. There is disability access, but that is through the railway station which was blocked off when we tried to get down it. We were actually directed down a vehicle access, which is why we finished up on the motorway.

I really don't know why they ever designed a stadium where the only way out of it is out the top of the seating.

The show was fabulous and well worth the hassle of getting there and home again.

And today I went walkabout behind the railway station - and discovered that the raised concourse that we were misdirected off in the wrong direction ends in a huge covered spiral pedestrian ramp right behind the bus depot. So we spent half an hour walking in the opposite direction from the bus depot and back again for nothing.